"What did you say?"


    Roman''s head throbbed as he listened to the officer. The young guy standing in front of him was sweating so much that drops were running down his face, soaking into his uniform cor and leaving a dark, spreading patch.


    "Mr. Sanchez, we checked the room during the shift change. We were careful."


    “Nathaniel was still out cold. The heart monitor was steady, nothing out of the ordinary."


    "I just stepped into the hallway to sign the log. I was gone maybe five minutes, tops. When I came back... the room was empty."


    "The security bars," the officer said, swallowing hard, his voice barely there. “Someone used a tool to cut through the window bars. The cut was really clean. Whoever did it had everything nned."


    "Damn it."


    Roman''s curse echoed down the corridor as he mmed his fist into the wall. ster dust rained down and his knuckles went red, but the pain didn''t even register. He couldn''t shake the anxiety wing at his chest.


    Bailey was dead, and Nathaniel was their only lead. Now he''d vanished.


    This case, the organ trafficking from twenty years ago, had too many people tangled up in it. How was he supposed to answer to the victims? What could he possibly say to his superiors?


    Roman forced himself to take a breath, trying to rein in his frustration. “He''s hurt. There''s no way he got far."


    "Pull up every camera in the hospital. Focus on Nathaniel''s floor, stairwells, elevators, and the back door."


    "Call the traffic department. Lock down everything within three kilometers. Check every suspicious car. I want to know exactly where he went."


    "And get the word out. All precincts, all stations, full alert. Issue a warrant for Nathaniel. If anyone spots him, report it immediately. Be careful. He''s smart, and he could be armed."


    The officer didn''t waste a second, grabbing his radio to repeat the orders.


    Roman nced toward the ICU, then seemed to remember something. He lowered his voice. “Keep an eye on Sofia. Nathaniel might try to reach out to her."


    "Yes, sir."


    The officer hurried away, passing a doctor in a white coat who headed straight toward the fire escape, shutting the heavy metal door behind him.


    Once the noise from outside was cut off, the doctor slid down the wall and sat on the floor, trying to catch his breath, chest rising and falling fast. He tore off his mask, revealing a pale, sharp face-Nathaniel himself.


    Blood had already soaked through the bandages on his abdomen, creating a dark, spreading stain. Pain radiated through him, making him grit his teeth. The cut on his arm from the window bars was even worse, the flesh split open, raw and aching.


    From his pocket, Nathaniel pulled out a phone he''d just stolen off someone in the hallway. He was about to call Sofia when he heard voices outside-two nurses chatting.


    "I heard from the ICU. That Bailey guy... he died."


    "No way. Didn''t they bring him back? How''d he just die?"


    "Guess he couldn''t hang on. It''s a shame. They hadn''t even finished the trial."


    The voices faded into the distance. Nathaniel stood there for a few seconds, processing.


    Bailey... dead?


    For a moment, he was stunned. Then a flicker of relief slipped into his eyes. Perfect. He''d been afraid Bailey might crack under pressure, spill everything, and then all his assets overseas, the stuff at Brookfield''s Pier 3... it would be game over.


    Nathaniel pressed a hand to his bleeding side and let out a low, humorlessugh.


    "Bailey, turns out you helped me after all."


    "You''re gone now, so it''s up to me to wrap this up."


    He didn''t wait another second, dialing Sofia''s number.


    The phone rang five times before someone finally picked up.


    Sofia sounded annoyed, tired. “Who is this? Can''t you tell I''m busy?"


    "It''s me. Nathaniel." His voice was rough, barely above a whisper.


    Sofia paused, surprised. “Mr. Phillips? I thought you''d been arrested. How are you even calling me?"


    She''d seen the police outside her


    apartmentst night. The whole building knew about the arrest. She


    hadn''t slept, terrified the cops would


    show


    up and use her of hiding a


    Criminal


    Only when the sun came up and no one knocked on her door did she rx enough


    to sleep. She never expected a call from him.


    “I got out,” Nathaniel said, already moving down the fire escape.


    "And I have news. Bailey''s dead."


    “What?” Sofia''s voice shot up, sharp and shaky. "When did this happen?”


    "Just now Nathaniel said, wincing at her volume and moving the phone away from his ear. "Police arrested himst night. He had a heart attack during questioning. They took him to the hospital, but he didn''t make it."


    Silence. Then there was a broken, muffled sob. Another. Each one sharper than thest.


    News of Bailey''s death seemed to


    hit Sofia all at once. Her legs gave out, and she slid down the wall onto the floor. Tears Streamed down fer cheeks, sttering onto the shiny floor and leaving dark stains.


    Before she turned five, Bailey hardly ever visited her and her mom, but he called every day just to check in.


    When it was time for her to start school, her mom, not wanting her to feel left out, brought her to the Meyer family''s house and forced Marie to face the truth.


    After that, she and her mom moved in. Bailey was angry that her mom made such a scene and pushed Marie into a divorce, but he never took it out on her.


    If anything, he spoiled her more than ever.


    She remembered finding out that Reese was studying Al programming in college. She''d immediately decided she wanted to learn it, too.